An overview provided by Apogee Social Media Group

Social Media:

The Great Equalizer –

The Great Disrupter

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Social media provides many windows into your company—

through employees, groups, & conversations.

At Apogee, we believe that social media is the

single most impactful development of this era. It is

the great equalizer and the great disrupter.

Companies that embrace social media and teach

their people to operate effectively in social media

will have unlimited access to opportunities,

customers and talent.

The term social media refers to the use of web-

based and mobile technologies to turn

communication into an interactive dialogue.

Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social

media as “a group of Internet-based applications

that build on the ideological and technological

foundations of Web 2.0, and that allows the

creation and exchange of user-generated

content.”

Social media is the largest and fastest evolution of

the internet we have seen so far.

Social media goes far beyond the technological

platforms of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It’s

about the ability for users to create, use and filter

content that aligns to their interests. To

understand this new dynamic, consider the DVR.

A DVR allows you to record your favorite TV show,

then watch it when, where and how you want. You

have the power to watch your show at your own

convenience, not only at 8pm on Thursday nights.

You have the power to watch your show on your

laptop as well as your TV. You have the power to filter

unwanted messages (i.e., commercials).

You control how you want to be engaged.

Now consider the companies that advertise during

your 8pm-Thursday-night show. They may show three

commercials in a span of 60 minutes. In the past, if

they wanted greater exposure, they might show six

commercials in that same 60 minutes. But with a

DVR, it doesn’t matter how many many commercial

spots they buy—you aren’t watching any of them!

Since you have control over what you tune in to,

companies must change their approach so that you

want to tune in.

Businesses have to find another way for their

messages to reach their customers.

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Your customers and employees are talking about your

company and products right now—join the conversation!

Social media is complex. It isn’t particularly complex from a technical perspective;

it’s complex from a human perspective. People inherently need to identify or

connect—with other people, with companies, and even with products—but the old

world “push” methods of connecting (e.g., TV ads) are getting filtered out.

As we explore this human need to connect, we realize that for the first time in the

modern era we have a reliable platform to facilitate the connection—the

conversation—worldwide and at lightning speed over the internet: social media.

Two major factors influence the decision to buy:

1. A company’s ability to create a meaningful connection with the buyer, and

2. What the buyer’s peers are saying.

Conversations are powerful influencers. If your company is not actively and

authentically becoming part of these conversations, you are at a great

disadvantage against your competition.

Joining the conversation is not about plugging in and using social media as a

conduit for the same old message and tactics. That will fail.

It’s about creating content that inspires conversation. It’s about contributing to the

collective knowledge of the group for the benefit of the group. If the conversation

is dull, insufficient or self-serving, people will leave the conversation.

Getting involved in the conversation is the way to make the connection to your

customers and their peers. If successfully connected, your message and brand will

flourish!

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Social media is a journey and, like all journeys, it

helps to know your starting point, your desired

destination, and your plan to get there.

Five steps to get you on your way:

1. Start where you are. Understand that social

media has already provided many windows into

your company by virtue of the fact that your

employees already participate. Embrace this

phenomenon and invest in your people. Make

an honest assessment of your company’s

current image on social media, then educate

your employees about the correct way to

represent themselves and the company. It will

pay dividends. Plus, your employees are hungry

for it.

2. Choose a destination. Find out where your

customers are, and meet them there. If your

business is Business-to-Consumer (B2C),

Facebook may be the best platform. If you are

Business-to-Business (B2B), LinkedIn may be the

best place to engage. But be sure you know

what you are trying to achieve and which

platforms offer you the greatest opportunity to

achieve it—and which platforms you can and

are willing to support. Platforms that have short

message lifecycles, like Twitter, require daily

monitoring and frequent, prompt

communication to keep the audience engaged.

Even if your customers are there, if you don’t

have the resources to participate fully, it may be

a poor choice for you.

3. Build a roadmap. Start with reasonable

expectations. Prioritize what you can actually

get done, and honestly assess your available

resources and constraints. Be realistic about

what you can do yourself and what items are

better handled by the pros. Achieving fewer,

higher-impact successes is better than doing

more things poorly. Set reasonable milestones;

make sure you are successful before increasing

the scope or number of social platforms.

4. Choose a navigator. Each employee can be a

powerful social media advocate for your

company, but creating a strong social media

presence and brand is not a part-time job.

Assigning a focused resource to manage this

channel will create a consistent “face” and voice

to your company and will allow you to quickly

build your brand.

5. Adjust to the environment. Social media is not a

static environment. Savvy companies critically

assess the impact of their efforts, look for the

best ideas, evaluate changes in the marketplace,

and make crucial adjustments to their strategy.

Understand that new tools and platforms are

emerging every day and will continue to evolve.

Listen carefully to your customers to understand

where they’re headed and what platforms they

will use for their conversations. Sometimes a

road is closed and you have to take a detour—

but that’s all part of the adventure!

Embarking on your social media journey can feel

daunting. By following the steps outlined above,

you can be confident that your efforts will position

your company to engage with new customers, new

opportunities, and new talent.

Social Media is more than just

a few folks at headquarters

Tweeting and responding to

Facebook posts.

In order to realize the full

benefit of this opportunity,

teach and empower the

entire organization to operate

with skill and confidence over

social media.

How do I get started?

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Social Media for the Sales Professional Do you use “social listening” to find out where the sales opportunities

are? Do you know which competitors are talking to your clients? This

dynamic instructor-led, one-day course is designed to address the

unique requirements of the professional sales organization. Learn to

use the power of LinkedIn to grow your sales.

Social Media for the HR Professional Companies compete for talent. Is your company finding and attracting

the right candidates? This interactive instructor-led, one-day course is

designed to address the unique requirements of the professional HR

organization. Learn to use LinkedIn to tap into an almost unlimited

talent pool—efficiently and effectively.

Social Media for the Business Professional Every one of your staff offers a window into your business. Are you

offering the right view? This interactive instructor-led, one-day course

is designed for all employees. It has been carefully constructed to give

users the knowledge and confidence to skillfully operate in the world

of social media (LinkedIn)—and present the company image you want.

LinkMeIn for Executives Executives have a choice of one-on-one LinkedIn coaching or turnkey

profile development services. Learn how to enhance your personal

brand, position yourself as an expert in your industry, or promote

personal causes or charities. We’ll help you get up and running and

develop a full personal social media strategy.

LinkMeIn for Jobseekers In this 2-part video learning series, individuals seeking new career

opportunities learn to use LinkedIn to develop their unique online

brand, attract recruiters and hiring managers, and find the right

connections in target industries. Having strong relationships online is

critical to getting ahead in this job market—we’ll show you how.

About Apogee Social Media Group We help companies accomplish their goals by prioritizing and simplifying the use of social

media to build and strengthen their brand, find new opportunities, and connect to customers

and talent. After a comprehensive assessment, we work with you to develop a social media

strategy, in which we may recommend some of the coaching and training options listed below.

Whether you’re a sales professional, human resource manager, recruiter, executive leader, or

jobseeker, you’ll be able to apply what you learn immediately.

Apogee Social Media Group http://www.apogeesocialmediagroup.com

8105 Fayetteville Rd, Suite 121–143

Raleigh, NC 27603